The Heart of a Child
by AngelLove6392
Summary: Things are changing everyday, the lives of the SVU detectives are no different.
1. Surprise

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Law and Order: SVU, Benson and Stabler are properties of the genius Wolf. I offered to buy SVU from him with all my savings, but he refused! The nerve of that man, I offered him all of my 25 cents and he rejects my offer, then he goes and sends me a restraint order!

A little girl curled into a ball in the corner of the cold room. She lie on her side, trembling, her knees bent to her chin and tears streaming down her red, swollen cheeks. The little girl bit her already bleeding lip to stifle the mewling sounds she knew would escape, and what would happen if they did. Paying no heed to the broken glass, torn chairs, overturned tables, and garbage strewn across the expanse of the apartment floor, she clutched at her cream-colored teddy bear with cotton-stuffed, felt wings; hugging the plushie to her chest to ease the pain every time she took a small breath. She ached all over and gradually succumbed to the darkness that had been eating at her mind for so long.

* * *

Cigarette fumes filled every pore of the square, dank room, the smoke spiraling upwards in the naked light until it disappeared into the dark space above the hanging over light. Peanut shells and crushed beer cans littered the round table directly beneath the hanging yellow bulb. Amongst the clutter were several ashtrays holding dozens of cigarette butts and ashes. The occupants of the room crowded around the small table, reclining in battered, foldable chairs, faces hidden in the shadows. The sickeningly mustard yellow light swung slightly on its connecting chain catching gruesome tattoos on dark-skinned arms and a pair of calloused hands. A chair groaned as one man leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table, his scarred digits cradling a lethal-looking semiautomatic.

Head coming into view, greasy hair and an oil slicked face gleamed unforgivably. His dull black eyes held malice and suspicion in their hellish depths. His companions immediately ceased all side conversations and paid rapt attention to the apparent leader.

His clothes ruffled and stained due to several days of wear, to an unknowing observer, he didn't look too threatening, but his partners knew better.

"When can we leave this hellhole Rodriguez, you promised me we would leave 2 days ago," the man barked harshly with a heavy Cuban accent. The man he addressed as Rodriguez winced, only the thought that the leader was still at his mercy kept him from cringing.

"The guy got busted yesterday, boss. I didn't know until Tony told me last night, boss," Rodriguez pleaded, his Texas twang resonating through the underground hideout, which would otherwise be silent if not for the occasional 'drip, drip' from the sewer pipes running through the walls of the place.

The third man watched the conversation from the sidelines, chuckling to himself in amusement, _"So the hunter becomes the hunt_ed, _how ironic,"_ he thought. A whisper of a sound and the three men instantly froze and were on their feet in a flash. Signaling to the door, the leader crept behind Rodriguez and the other man.

"Police! We've got you surrounded! Drop your weapons and come out with your hands behind your head!"

"Shit," Rodriguez cursed, "What do we do now, boss?"

"Joey, you and Rodriguez go out first and shoot, hit whatever you can, I don't give a damn, I'll cover you two."

Joey gritted his teeth and ground out fiercely, "I ain't covering nobody's sorry ass, 'specially not yours!" The leader paled with rage, "You fool! You have no idea who you talking to, do you?" Joey didn't flinch, "I don't give a damn," he replied, mimicking the leader's words. Rodriguez listened intently to any sound outside. He heard nothing – that was what made him worry.

He turned back to his two partners in crime; he saw a hand tightened its hold on the gun in his hand. His eyes bulged in shock before he snapped out of it and shouted, "No, don't do it, boss, we have enough to worry about with the cops outside, deal with him later!" The leader glared at Joey one more time, then nodded tersely at the door. Slowly, Rodriguez pulled the crappy excuse of a door open, inch by inch, every creak increasing the anxiety levels. All of a sudden, an object flew in through the crack of the door. The leader realized it was a smoke bomb as soon as he got a clear look at the thing, the smoke billowing out of the ball confirmed that. A shuddering blast against the sheet of wood blew Rodriguez off his feet. Black figures stormed the underground alcove moving competently through the curtains of white smoke.

The leader and his henchmen couldn't see, so they did the only other thing they could do – shoot.

* * *

"BANG!"

* * *

The shot rang loudly through the small apartment, blood rapidly spreading across the surface of the woman's shirt.

The little girl was jolted awake by the thunderous noise, and through her haze of pain, she saw her father holding a smoking thing in his hand and sway unsteadily on his feet. A sharp pain shot up her left side when she tried to move.

Before she passed out from the excruciating pain, she watched the man picked up another bottle of potent liquor and take a generous swig as a pack of men bulldozed their way into the living room through the open door. She watched as her father spun on them and pointed that thing in his hand at one man who had a strange earring in his nose. Another earsplitting 'bang' and her father fell. Through her blurring vision, she saw the people running out. Then it was all black.

* * *

Detective Mike Sandalov and a couple of uniforms rushed up the stairs of the apartment complex as they heard the second gunshot from the lobby two floors down.

Mike Sandalov had been meeting with a informant when he caught sight of a gang moving down the streets, he recognized one of the gang members as the prime suspect of multiple cases of possession and selling coke, he quickly finished up the business transaction and took off to trail the potentially dangerous group.

He lost them as they rounded the corner; by the time he went around the bend, they had already disappeared. He frowned but refused to give up, as he was passing the apartment complex, two squad cars, sirens full on wailing, screeched to a stop in front of the building. He flipped them his badge, "What's going on?"

"Dispatch said there was a gunshot heard on the 2nd floor…" the uniform was abruptly cut off as another gunshot rang out, muffled due to distance, which was why Mike found himself bounding up the stairs two at a time with 4 uniforms on his heel. He saw the escaping figures and ran after them, he stopped in front of the apartment with its door swinging on its hinges; a man and a woman lay on the ground. The uniforms went after the perps and Mike skidded to a halt and quickly knelt next to the man, the man was gone, he did the same with the woman, no go. He sat back on his haunches and surveyed the damage.

Something out of the corner of his eyes got his attention; a small bundle of clothes laying in a heap in the corner surrounded by broken glass and furniture. He ventured closer.

His heart stopped in his throat when he found that the bundle of clothes was a battered little girl.


	2. Beginnings

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't any of SVU, however much I wish I did, but I do own the plot.

He couldn't care less about the glass pressing into the knees of his black jeans; all that mattered was the little girl. Nothing in his years of working in Narcotics could have prepared him for the despair he'd felt when he saw the battered body of the petite Asian child. He whipped out his cell phone as he frantically checked for a pulse, he found one; a weak one, but it was a pulse nonetheless. The operator's cool voice did little to calm his nerves, "Detective Sandalov, Narcotics, requesting back up and a bus at Chinatown, 234 Hester apartment complex." He dropped his phone to the ground beside him and stayed with the little girl until the medics arrived and carefully lifted the frail form onto the mobile stretcher.

He rode along with her to the hospital, never once letting go of her hand.

* * *

Rodriguez and Joey blindly dived for cover, the boss had gone mad. It was it was one thing to fire at a fully armed squad of cops, but it was a completely different matter when these were SWAT no less, they were the best of the best. Knowing they stood no chance against the SWAT team, the dropped their guns and covered their heads, hoping that they wouldn't get hit in the crossfire or get trampled during the gunfight.

Despite the danger of the situation, Rodriguez still couldn't help but feel a degree of pride for being taken down by SWAT, it meant he was dangerous. He was bad!

Gunfire ceased when the smoke began clearing, two SWAT members stood above the two gangsters and had their weapons pointed down at Joey and Rodriguez. Their leader was sprawled on the ground, bloody holes in his torso and parts of his arms ripped up.

"Suspects apprehended; all clear."

When Joey looked up and saw the gruesomely gory remains of the most heartless Columbian crime lord of all times, he had no sympathy for the man. Rafael Zapata was dead and nobody would be the less sorry that it was another danger off the streets. Joey was pretty certain, even as he was led out of the tunnels and ducked into the van, that the SVU detectives would feel no empathy for him, they would probably jump for joy and throw a party to celebrate his death, which he rightly deserved.

He wasn't worried about getting the needle in his arm, he knew he wouldn't, nor would Rodriguez, because between the two of them, they had enough information to cut them a deal and the most they'd have to suffer was doing some years.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, the doctors finally came out of the OR. Mike stopped pacing and promptly charged at them, "How is she? Will she make it?" The doctors took a moment to answer the questions he'd fired off in close succession, "She'll be all right. We need to get some x-rays though, but afterwards, we're gonna wheel her into the ICU. Do you know if there's any way to contact her guardians?"

To that, Mike answered, "Through prayers."

* * *

A blond-haired woman with soft blue eyes stepped into Precinct 16. Everything was as she remembered, well, almost everything. Stacks of paper cluttered the partner desks and phones buried deep beneath the piles of paperwork jangled. She watched as another woman, short honey-brown hair and toffee-colored eyes, dug under the files and find the phone, "Benson." A short pause, "All right, see you later." She turned around and in one smooth move, grabbed her coat gloves to counter Manhattan's freezing winter, "Got a new case, Cap." She froze when she looked up from her gloved hands. Her partner opened his mouth to ask why she wasn't moving, but he couldn't utter a single sound. 

"Nice to see you too, Elliot." The woman greeted wryly, amusement laced into her uncertain tone. Heads swiveled on necks to the front of the squad room, "Alex! You're back!" They all exclaimed at once. Detective Benson rushed to greet her, "Alexandra Cabot, I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming back."

"Well, I'm sorry I wanted my return to be a surprise. Besides Olivia, this is pay back for conveniently omitting something, I had to subpoena a certain government conspiracies-riddled detective." Olivia turned to glare at said detective, to which he only responded with a helpless shrug, "Don't look at me, she didn't tell me she was coming back today. Besides, you know her reputation, arguing with her is the same as trying to catch the hot dog conspiracy perps."

Olivia opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it as a pensive look entered her chocolate depths, "Right. Anyhow, looks like somebody has some explaining to do later, but right now, we've gotta run. Mike just called from the hospital, said the vic's already there and he's going back to the crime scene in Chinatown." Elliot and Olivia pulled on their black coats and gloves; Elliot's of soft leather and Olivia's a light, warm cotton. They stepped out into the brisk, typical New York November and took quick, long strides to the black car.

* * *

They arrived outside of the apartment compex minutes later and parked the unmarked car across the street. Elliot slid out of the driver's side and stepped onto the sidewalk before catching up with Olivia. Together, they walked up to the uniform standing next to the yellow tape, guarding it, and flashed their badges. Melinda Warner, the resident head medical examiner, turned slightly to see the two detectives duck under the police tape and leveling with her. 

"Just got the call and the autopsies have been swamped, barely finished two, so don't start on me," Melinda told them by way of greeting. Olivia and Elliot both exchanged wry smiles at Warner's occasional aggravated disposition, comforted that they were not going to be the only ones of her close friends and family to have to deal with her periodic PMS. They trooped up the concrete stairs of the chilly building, pausing at the open doorway, again closed off by the stretch of yellow police tape.

Detective Mike Sandalov stood in the middle of the remains of the living room, hands on hips, surveying the apartment as the CSU milled about, tweezers and cases in their gloved hands. Two bodies lay untouched on the ground, away from the systematic chaos. Mike turned, a grim set about his features tugged at something in the back of their minds, no doubt they were about to find out. He finally looked up at them when the trio stepped into the disastrous pile.

Warner nodded at Mike and the Narcotics detective returned the gesture. Stabler and Benson knew the telltale sign when Mike was becoming involved far beyond the simple reason that one of the two bodies fell under one or more of the categories of his jurisdiction. The permanent frown imbedded in his forehead and steely determination glinting savagely in his eyes said it all.

Olivia and Elliot went to stand by their colleague, and friend, "Two DOAs, one of the vics have already been sent to the hospital. Somebody trashed this place. When we got up here, the perps ran. The two uniforms chased them back down to the lobby, lost 'em."

"Who was the other vic?" Elliot asked, already crouched next to a pile of junk and examining the contents.

"A little girl," came the terse reply, "a 5 year-old."

"Good God," Olivia breathed, taking in the splintered table and overturned couch. Toppled bottles were scattered across the once pristine wood-boarded floors, some smashed into tiny dangerously sharp pieces and others lying despondently empty on its' fat, round sides. Elliot surveyed the damage grimly, taking note of the pools of blood. He stepped over to the pile of tattered cloths flopping haphazardly off a corner of a tilted wooden chair that looked as if it had been violently flung into the wall and got stuck balancing precariously on one leg.

He looked to one of the CSIs and the man returned the unspoken question with a nod. Elliot set the chair back upright and carefully shifted through the shredded cloths. A colorful, but worn, Mickey Mouse beamed brightly on the front of the small, baggy t-shirt; he grimaced at the bloodstains surrounding the slash marks.


	3. Broken

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU, but I do own a demented family.

Beeping machines and jumbled chatter filling the background, cleaning alcohol and soap, the Irish brand, hanging heavily in air the and bustling, bare halls washed in bright fluorescent light; all the reasons to make even the toughest of men uncomfortable. Two detectives hunkered down in the unwelcoming warmth of the waiting chairs as another leaned on the wall next to the door to the ICU room, arms crossed over a broad chest, one leg crossed over the other and balancing on its toe. One detective got up and left, returning a while later with cups of coffee.

"Here, drink this." The Hispanic detective accepted his coffee gratefully, "Thanks, Olivia. I thought I'd seen it all in my years in Narcotics, but this…"

"Yeah, I understand," she replied sympathetically. Mike shook his head, still stunned at the turn of events, "I thought Antonio's case had been brutal, but when I found her…" Mike trailed off, rubbing his hand over his face and allowing it to rest over the lower half of his face. Olivia squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, comfortingly.

She looked over at her partner, realizing that his intense gaze on the child's limp form since he had caught sight of her hadn't wavered for the ten minutes they'd been there.

The little girl breathed evenly in her induced coma. The doctors had told the Narcotics detective that even though the child was out of the woods, she had suffered extensive injuries and needed some time for the meds to sink into her system and for her limbs to adjust appropriately.

Elliot had put off going to the doctor for as long as he could, his father's instinct not wanting to lose sight of the little girl, wanting to protect her 'til his last breath. He forced his legs to move, to push off the wall with his shoulder, and to uncross his arms. He gestured in the direction of the doctors standing around the nurses' station with a jerk of his head. Olivia got the message and got to her feet, Mike looked up at the two SVU detectives and smiled wanly, "Go ahead, I'll be fine, but you better tell me everything. I want in."

"We'll be right back, and we promise to fill you in." Olivia and Elliot turned on their heels and strode to the idle doctors, "Dr. Lambert?" An elderly man turned inquiringly. The little bit of hair on his shiny head as white as his lab coat, he was tall and lanky, his hands leathery and skinny, but his person radiated genuine warmth. Olivia flashed her badge for the doctor to see, "I'm Detective Benson; this is my partner, Detective Stabler. Could we speak to you for a minute?" Alarm and surprise flashed briefly, but Dr. Lambert nodded cordially, "Of course, Detectives, anything." He stepped away from his group, murmuring a simple, "I'll be right back." They moved into a quieter alcove for a degree of privacy, "How can I help you, Detectives?"

"We wanted to talk to you about the patient that came in a few hours ago, the child?" Elliot prompted, watching the confusion in the doctor's eyes dawn into comprehension. The doctor nodded understandingly, "Poor lamb, someone definitely did a number on her." He led them to his office and shuffled through a file and pulling out several x-rays.

He clipped them onto the light board as he began explaining, "There were multiple fractures and extensive bruising to the tibia, femur, ulna, humerus, and scapula, as well as an improperly healed break in the patella, the knee. When she came in, the 4th and 5th ribs were broken; she nearly had a lung collapse. There were also signs of internal bleeding and we found bruising around her midsection and her back. We had to 'fix' her knee, which was why she had to be medically induced into a coma. Her leg is in a cast and I would recommend having her hospitalized for the duration that the cast stays on. She's on the mend and she pulled through surgery beautifully, but I am not certain that her mobility will be as though she never sustained injury to her knee. And I noticed that some of the fractures overlapped, these breaks healed and then broken again, over a few years."

Elliot stared at the x-rays, an utterly blank mien in place. Olivia knew only too well what that look meant: if the monster that did this wasn't dead yet, they would be soon. They thanked the doctor and paced back to the ICU in silence.

Mike stood when they came back and handed Olivia her coffee back. Elliot emotionlessly explained the situation to Mike, Olivia heard the glacier of ice in her partner's voice and knew it could and would freeze hell. With every word, Mike turned a shade paler beneath his tanned color.

* * *

Olivia and Elliot left after obtaining the pictures taken when the kid arrived and the rape kit. They went back to the precinct while Mike stayed. The nurse on duty had allowed Mike into the room and he settled more comfortably in the chair next to the bed. He tilted his head back, letting it loll on his neck. Rubbing the backs of his shoulders in a futile attempt to release some of the tension that had been building since he'd first caught a glimpse of that bundle in the ruined apartment, he slumped lower in his chair, his arms crossed over his firm chest and his black leather jacket hanging over the back of the plastic chair. He watched the child's small chest rise and fall evenly, her even breathing reassuring him that she would be all right.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the rattling blinds, the elderly nurse gently shook the man awake. He slowly came to and blinked tiredly, "We're moving her to another room, Detective. It'll be in a different ward, I'll bring you a toothbrush as soon as we settle her, and a razor if I can find one." 

"Thank you," Mike rasped his voice hoarse from sleep. The nurse smiled and herded him and her entourage out the door in a motherly fashion. The small group eased down the ICU ward and took the elevator down to a vaguely less intimidating floor. The nurses wheeled the little girl into a warm, bright, sun-lit room. Mike left for a hospital payphone to call Elliot and Olivia and let them know about the room change. When he returned to the room, the nurse came back with a clean washcloth, a toothbrush, and a razor. Mike gratefully took the items and retreated into the bathroom to freshen up.

* * *

Elliot groaned as the alarm beeped and reached over to shut it off. He rolled to his other side and met the empty space beside him; still warm, but empty. He heard the water go on in the bathroom, then he just smiled as he flopped back against the pillow. After a few minutes, he flung aside his covers and padded into the kitchen in his gray, NYPD t-shirt, black sweatpants, and warm, white socks. He played the messages on the phone: 7 messages from Kathy and one from Mike. Elliot frowned curiously and played Mike's message first, "_Hey Elliot, the doctors just moved the little girl from the ICU into room 435. She's not awake yet, but she's doing better."_

A small smile of relief tugged at Elliot's lips. He turned around when he heard footsteps behind him to find a beautiful brunette in jeans, socks, and one of his sweaters, "Stealing my clothes again, Liv?" Olivia Benson grinned at her boyfriend of 2 years, "But your sweaters are so much comfier, and they smell like you." Elliot laughed mock-exasperatedly. She poured them each a cup of freshly brewed coffee and handed Elliot his before speaking, "What did Mike say?"

"He said the doctors moved the girl out of the ICU. She's not conscious yet, but she's doing better," Elliot recited, sipping his coffee. Olivia nodded thoughtfully, "I hope that Munch and Fin had better luck than we did."

* * *

As it was, both said detectives were combing the streets and _had_ gotten a lead. A mahjong buddy of one of the vics mentioned that the vic regularly bumped shoulders with a woman that usually led her into the back alley and that the vic would come out minutes later with a lighter pocket, but definitely _happier_. 

"So the mother was a junkie," Fin stated sharply. Munch gave a helpless shrug.


	4. Awake

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the detectives or any of the characters except the sweet child.

A warm weight on her hand gently brought her back to the world of the living and the bright light made her blink and squint. She tried to move her arm: nothing happened. She tried to take a deep breath: her sides and stomach hurt. She gasped inaudibly from the pain.

She looked around the unfamiliar room; then her eyes fell to the big man in the chair next to her bed. Cold terror left her paralyzed and stiff. A small whimper escaped; she couldn't help it. The man was awake in an instant and quickly leaned forward. She got up on her elbows when something heavy weighed down on her leg and tried to shuffle back. Mike had his hands up, elbows bent up at a 90-degree angle, palms out, "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm a police officer. I'm here to help you."

She looked at the man: dark and tough. He said he was a police, but she wasn't so sure, "Where is your uniform? And the shiny thing?" Mike stayed silent for a moment, stunned that a 5-year-old could be so articulate. And so cynical, "I'm one of the police who don't have to wear uniforms," he reached into his pocket and drew out his badge, "but I have my badge. Would you like to see it?" Propped against the headboard, she nodded hesitantly, a hand creeping out from under the thin blanket; she slowly reached out for his badge and quickly retreated once she got the loosely held badge. She cocked her head from one side to the other, turning the badge this way and that, patting the metal and tracing the engravings.

* * *

The squad room to Precinct 16 was noisy and busy. The SVU detectives lounged in their chairs around the dry-erase board and the photos tacked on it. Fin sat on a relatively empty desk, elbows on thighs, next to Munch's chair, Olivia and Elliot opted to sit on another desk with one leg holding them steady. Cragen stood facing his team, "Any new leads?"

"Aside from the mom's gambling buddy, none," Munch answered.

"Mom was a junkie, been out of work. Dad was a drunk, he used to work at a construction up on 16th street, got fired a month ago," Fin added.

"Bastard beat the shit out of the little girl," Elliot cut in savagely, "we talked to her doctor, long story short, she would've died. Sooner rather than later"

"When we left she was still in a medically induced coma, so we couldn't talk to her, but she might've seen something," Olivia explained. Cragen looked sadly at the pictures of the bruised child, "Well, find something."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other and grabbed their coats and gloves.

* * *

Mike left the little girl drawing on little pad to go get a cup of coffee. After she'd thoroughly 'examined' his badge, she'd shyly given it back to him, albeit warily. She still wouldn't let him too close; he didn't blame her, with everything she'd been through, he would've been surprised if she'd welcomed anyone with open arms.

* * *

The orderlies walked into the room to find a little girl cuddled up in blankets drawing on a pad. She looked like a deer caught in headlights when they opened the door, shrinking against the bed and hyperventilating when they continued to approach her. An orderly uncapped the needle to a syringe of sedative as another orderly went to hold her arm still. The minute the latex gloves touched her tiny wrist, she screamed and struggled against the much larger orderlies," Hold her down!" Their colleagues rushed to help them manacle her kicking legs to the bed. She squirmed and shrieked violently, trying to pull away from them.

* * *

Elliot and Olivia met Mike in the corridor on his way back to the little girl's sickroom when the three detectives heard a heart-wrenching scream. Mike didn't say anything, just dropped his cup of caffeine and sprinted down the rest of the hallway, Elliot and Olivia hot on his tail. Several more terrified cries emitted from a room somewhere up ahead. The detectives burst into the room where the noise was coming from and blanched when they saw 4 orderlies manhandling their vic. All three sprang into action: Elliot and Mike grabbed the closest orderlies to them and wrestled with them as Olivia tried to calm the little girl.

She struggled against Olivia for a little bit more until she finally recognized the more feminine scent and softer touches. She sobbed silently as Elliot and Mike tussled with the orderlies for a couple more minutes before a doctor and a few nurses came crowding in, "Hey, what's this all about. I'll have the security escort you out of the building for assault on hospital orderlies!" Elliot glared at him, eyes harder than steel, and flashed his badge. The doctor bristled indignantly, "Well I'll say, just because you're cops doesn't mean you can abuse authority, that's police brutality." Elliot's eyes flashed dangerously, turning a shade darker, "Not when force is necessary to detain them from manhandling a victim."

"Special Victims," Olivia elaborated slowly, as if talking to a 3 year-old, when the doctor looked confused as to why a hysterical patient would send a few detectives into a tizzy. The doctor scowled at her, narrowing his beady eyes into slits. Elliot and Mike shoved the 4 orderlies to whatever surface they were on and went to stand by the bed.

"What's going on here, Dr. Edwards? I thought I told you to check on the patient in room 345, what are you doing!"

The group looked past Dr. Edwards to see Dr. Lambert. Dr. Edwards whirled around, face to face with the stern superior, well, a couple inches short of eye to eye.

"Dr. Lambert," he greeted complacently, his smug tone blatantly oozing from his voice. "These detectives were using brute force against my orderlies, I was just about to call security."

"Stop acting like a petulant child and do what you're told to do. You're not paid to run around the hospital and tattle-tell," Dr. Lambert snapped impatiently. He turned to admonish the orderlies that the little girl was his patient and that he had left specific orders for nobody else to enter the room except for the detectives, the nurses, and he.

Tail tucked between their legs, they sulked out of the room. Dr. Lambert turned to the remaining occupants apologetically, "I'm very sorry, he can be a bit self-important at times. How is our patient doing today?" He asked kindly. The little girl glanced up at the doctor timidly from under her lashes, her cinnamon brown eyes gleaming warily.

"Are you hurting?" He asked. She nodded very slightly, "My tummy and here," she pointed at her sides. Dr. Lambert scribbled something on the clipboard, "May I check if you're hurt anywhere else?" She gave that same hesitant nod. He had to check on the injuries beneath her hospital gown and as he examined the bruises, bandaged cuts, and stitches, he could see her ribs and made a mental note to have the nurses give her a little extra food. This girl was literally skin and bones! He finished his cursory inspection.

The detectives looked decidedly grim, seeing the extent of the injuries firsthand. The doctor left and Olivia spoke first. She sat so that she and the girl were eye to eye and smiled gently, "Hi, my name's Olivia. What's yours?" A pause.

"Xing."


	5. Readings and Greetings

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing of SVU, but I do own little Xing and a demented computer.

Xing shot another furtive glance at Elliot while she answered Olivia.

"It's okay sweetie, he's a friend of mine," Olivia soothed. Elliot smiled down at the frightened little girl, "Hi, my name's Elliot. Xing's a pretty name."

Xing blinked once slowly, "Xing means heart, mama used to say it meant star –" she caught herself before she said anything else. Her wall went up again. She slowly retreated into herself, aware of her surroundings but not acknowledging them. Elliot, sitting at the foot of the bed, moved closer to her and reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. His fingertips lightly brushed her shoulder and she flinched involuntarily. Concerned, Elliot knelt a little closer; Xing flinched again. He stood up, stung.

Mike tapped Elliot on the shoulder and nodded towards the door. The two men stepped outside into the hallway.

"Poor kid, her old man did a lot of damage; she woke up this morning and literally froze when she saw me. I woke up when I heard her whimper," Mike commented grimly.

"Guess that means we have to bring in the doc," Elliot said with an ironic smile.

* * *

Dr. George Huang sat with his hands clasped between his knees and elbows resting on his thighs. He dressed more casually in a beige, zippered sweater and a pair of black slacks. Huang silently observed the little girl through the tiny window of the door as the detective spoke gently and interviewed her. Huang noted that she always hesitated or evaded the question when Olivia asked something pertaining to the her family, that she was very articulate and her responses were well-developed, and that the entire time she spoke to Olivia she kept her hands busy.

Elliot and Mike leaned against the wall, deep in their own thoughts: Elliot thinking about Xing and Mike thinking about another child.

"She's too calm. A traumatized patient isn't nearly half as coherent and they certainly aren't as articulate. She's not unaffected though; she's nervous and jumpy from the whole ordeal. You've dealt with enough children in your line of work to know that most children don't act or speak like an adult, they're generally open and friendly to people they think can protect them, and law enforcement usually falls into that category, yet she's close-mouthed even to Olivia."

"When I told her I was a cop she asked me where my uniform and badge was."

"She's cynical towards everyone and distrusts the world," George said.

Olivia opened the door a crack and slipped out, "I asked her if she saw anything the day her parents were murdered, and I think she saw the killer."

"What did she say?" Elliot asked.

"She said he had an earring in his nose, like a bull," Olivia replied, letting a short staccato laugh escape. Elliot's face split into a fleeting grin and Mike shook his head wonderingly.

"Where's Huang? He was here a second ago." Mike looked around for the shrink. Elliot pointed to the inside of the room; Huang occupied the foot of Xing's bed while she studied him curiously.

* * *

George walked into the room and Xing's eyes immediately flew from the pad in her hands, her shoulders relaxed, "Are you Uncle George?"

"Yes, I am, Xing."

"You said my name right, the nurses couldn't say my name right," Xing told him seriously. George let out a small laugh, "Did you correct them?" Xing averted her gaze guiltily, "No, they treated me like a baby; I'm not a baby, I'm 5 years old!" She exclaimed indignantly.

"You are a big girl. Olivia told me that the man you saw was like a bull, is that right?" She nodded, "But bulls have big noses and they're big," she said, sticking her arms out to her side to show him how big. George laughed again, "Yes, they are very big. Do you remember what the man looked like?" She cocked her head to the side, thinking and delving.

"He had black fur. And shiny bowling ball here," pointing to the top of her head, "And he had a fluffy comb under his nose."

She tapped her nose thoughtfully.

"The man looked like Dumbo." George nodded, "What about your dad?" He saw the withdrawal in her cinnamon brown eyes and her thin shoulders were set again. She snuggled down into the blankets and turned on her side so that her back was facing Huang. Huang sighed and got up, he stared at her tiny form for another minute, then went back out to join the three detectives.

* * *

"That went well," Mike said optimistically. George agreed, "It's not bad, she was being the child she was supposed to be for a while in there. And apparently your perp has big ears, she said he looked like Dumbo, a moustache she classified as a fluffy comb and a shaved head, a shiny bowling ball," Huang informed amusedly, "since he's bald, the black fur she was referring to probably meant his body hair or clothing."

"Think she's up to working with a police sketch artist?" Elliot asked George.

"Not unless one of you can draw."

"What do you mean," Mike questioned, frowning confusedly. George turned to look at the little girl again, "With everything she's been through, her trust is only limited to a few; keep introducing more people, she'll retreat and it'll be counterproductive. Children are unique that way, they can sense things that adults can't, so she'll be able to sense that the sketch artist isn't someone close, merely someone you're being polite to," Huang answered matter-of-factly.

"Any of you know how to draw?" Olivia asked the two other detectives pointedly.

* * *

"Casey Novak, what are you doing?" The strawberry-blonde ADA spun around so quickly she nearly lost her balance – until her husband caught her.

"Mike! When did you get home?"

"Answer my question first. What on earth would prompt an ADA in her 3rd trimester to climb up a ladder." Casey flushed, "The light bulb burned out, I can't do anything in a dark bathroom – not unless you want your wife to slip and fall after worshipping the porcelain god."

"I would prefer to come home to a whole and happy wife and child, thanks." Mike set Casey gently back on her feet and took the light bulb in her hand. He scaled the ladder easily and screwed in the new light bulb, "There, happy now?"


	6. Loose Tongues

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and Xing. SVU belongs to Wolf, and I'd still like to go after him with an ax for blocking my e-mails, honestly! Read and review please!

Author's Note: Thank you to those who have reviewed and to the silent readers out there, please read and review, even if it's constructive criticism I'd appreciate it. Enjoy!

Night fell and the squad room to Precinct 16 still buzzed with activity even though it was already 12 in the morning. Chugging coffee and typing maniacally, the SVU detectives shuffled through piles of paper and shifted through folders. Olivia, Elliot, Munch, and Fin bounced information off each other, cross referencing everything they'd found so far to see if anything stood out. Olivia tossed yet another file to Elliot.

Don paced inside the privacy of his office, pouring over the other files his detectives had handed off to him. He saw the extent of the damage on the little girl's frail body and could only imagine the types of horrors she'd gone through to make her so wary. George Huang came in earlier with Benson and Stabler to debrief. Xing's reaction to Elliot had surprised Don. Cragen knew that that had to have been a first for Elliot. All the years Elliot had been on the force the victims had drawn from his strength and relied on him, never withdrew. Especially not a child. The fact Xing flinched when Elliot reached out had to have stung.

Cragen looked over the same paragraph for the 3rd time; he still didn't know what he was reading! He reached for his cup of coffee and took a sip: an empty sip. He cursed. Flinging his door open, he stalked into the lounge room and poured himself another cup of coffee from the coffee pot that was three-fourths of the way gone and lukewarm. Going back to his office, the phone rang; he picked it up. A couple seconds after Cragen's office door shut, Don popped his head into the squad room again, "Stabler, it's Kathy."

"Thanks, Cap." Elliot grabbed the phone closest to him, "Kathy… What, it's not my weekend and I got a new case. No, you can cancel your damn date! I can't, I already told you I have to work! Yes, I got your messages. What?! I haven't even gone home yet. Why can't you get it through your head that I'm working and I can't watch the kids?! I'm the bastard?! You… Kathy! Kathy!" He slammed the phone back onto its cradle and silently fumed.

"Hung up on you?" Munch asked, looking up from his file.

"Yeah, she wants me to take the kids for next week 'cause she's going to Maui with one of the doctors from the hospital she works at. I can't believe it, she planned the trip a month ago and didn't bother to tell me until last night and left 7 voicemails on my answering machine because I was trying to catch some shut-eye."

"What, someone else keeping you up?" Munch snickered.

"That was a good one, you're just becoming a regular clown aren't you," Olivia retorted. Munch gave her a jaunty shrug and went back to work. Fin got his eye drops out and blinked them rapidly into his red eyes.

"You should go call your wife, Fin, let her know you haven't died so she doesn't go looking for you on her metal slabs," Olivia said.

"She knows what we do everyday, as long as I let her know ahead that I won't be back for dinner, she and my little girl will forgive me," Fin answered.

"Pretty confident there." Fin shrugged, "Melinda deals with what we have to deal with in the morgue, she understands. Besides, those hospital pictures pissed her off. She knows what I'm doing." They went back to their work. Olivia was going through the financial records when it hit her.

"What if it had nothing to do with shady connections but more with shady money?"

"You mean, they owed the mob, or that they knew something about the counterfeits that have been circuiting around?" Olivia nodded.

"That would explain why the debts were suddenly all paid off. Of course, dad probably spent what he got on booze and mom bargained with it for pot."

"Makes sense," Elliot conceded. They left it at that theory, it wasn't much, but at least they had something to go on tomorrow.

* * *

Elliot and Olivia went home, Elliot dropped Olivia off at her apartment and headed back to his own. Passing a local drugstore, he saw a little brown teddy bear. He got it.

* * *

The next morning when Olivia arrived at the hospital, she quietly opened the door, taking care not to make too much, less it startle Xing. To her surprise, Elliot was already there, sitting on the bed with a wide-awake Xing. She curiously watched Olivia greet Elliot warmly. The wary light in her eyes hadn't gone out, but the cold, paralyzing terror wasn't there anymore. It was progress, and a big step, Elliot would take that.

Olivia smiled at the two of them and settled down in a chair, gaze falling on the small, brown teddy bear clutched in Xing's hands, "That's cute, what's his name?"

"Teddy; Uncle Elliot gave him to me, he said that my bear was in a hospital for teddy bears, but he'll be back."

"I see. Do you miss your bear?" Olivia asked. Xing nodded slowly, eying Olivia as if the question Olivia had just asked was a trick question and was weighing her answer. Olivia inwardly sighed, Xing's parents were monsters to have treated such a sweet little girl so cruelly.

* * *

Mike walked in through the door in the afternoon with Casey at his side. Xing swept a glance over Casey, lingering on her protruding tummy and strawberry-blond hair. Xing reached a hand out hesitantly to stroke Casey's belly, eyes widening in surprise when she felt a kick.

"Carrot hair and baby, are you Auntie Casey?" Xing asked, a small smile of wonder curving her thin, cherry blossom-pink lips. Casey smiled, "Yes, I am. What's your name?"

"Xing." Casey waited for her to say more, but it became evident that it wasn't going to happen. Xing was studying Mike now. He gently guided Casey onto the sofa on the other side of the bed. Mike had a light hand on Casey's lower back, helping her waddle to the sofa. He didn't look too mean right now; he was being nice.

* * *

George dropped by in the afternoon. Xing seemed to be okay with Huang, answering his questions and helping him with the sketch of their perp. She merely followed the flow of the conversation from the question to the recipient. She even gave Huang a shy hug before he left. Oh yes, things were looking much brighter.

* * *

Munch and Fin were shoving another perp back into the holding cell when two uniforms dragged in another druggie: bald with a mustache, wide and portly, and a nose ring. Elliot and Olivia walked in at that moment. Their eyes fell on the sullen perp clipped between the two uniforms and maneuvered through the packed precinct over to them.

"What's he here for?"

"Good ol' Sonny boy is back here for possession," one of the uniforms answered.

"You ain't got nothin' on me. I told you those weren't mine."

"You might be getting off those possession charges but you can go do your little dance in hell now because you're under arrest for murder, you have the right to remain silent but anything you say can and will be used against you in court," Elliot replied.

"What! You crackin' man. I ain't kill nobody," Sonny protested even as the uniforms gladly relinquished their prize to the SVU detectives and Elliot and Fin herded him into another interview room.

"I want my lawyer!"

* * *

Alexandra Cabot swept into Precinct 16 as if she owned the place; every strand of blond hair perfectly in place and dressed professionally from head to toe, her spectacles firmly on her nose. The Ice Queen was back and somebody was about to get burned. The door opened to Cragen's office and through the 2-way mirror, Alex could see Elliot and Olivia in the interview room with "Sonny" A.K.A Dicky Watson, Olivia leaned forward in her chair and Elliot bent down to the guy's ears. Alex vaguely wondered if the partners' interrogation skills had sharpened since she left and sat back to enjoy the show – that is, until Sonny's lawyer blew in like hurricane Katrina.

Ellis Donald was a tough-ass lawyer, no morals or scruples, but real good at her job: manipulation. She transferred to New York from California when a judge threw out the evidence against her client but allowed the defense attorneys as much leeway as they needed to win. This lady didn't like to lose – and Alex was just dying to meet her.

* * *

"Look Sonny, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. You can either confess, or we'll see you at arraignment."

"I already told you I don't know what you talkin' about!"

"Oh, let me remind you, yesterday somebody capped a couple in Chinatown, we've got a witness that says it was you."

"Well, that little bitch is lyin'! She's just a little girl, what does she know!" Sonny shouted vehemently.

"How do you know the witness is a she? Nobody said anything about the witness's gender or age." Olivia shot back coldly. Sonny blanched.

It was all the answer they needed.


	7. Leaving

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU, I only own the plot and Xing.

Author's Note: Thank you to those who bothered to review. I'm not sure if all of you have read chapter 6, so just letting you know it's there and you guys should read that first. Enjoy!

Xing was sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, her legs dangling over the side and swinging freely. The sun beamed over her dark tresses, creating shimmering waves. A cute, pert nose twitched as the familiar scents from the past month and a half reached her senses. Her delicate chin lifted and cinnamon brown orbs looked toward the door, small hands and thin arms pushing her torso up straighter.

The door opened slightly and Olivia popped her head in, "Hey, how you feeling sweetie?"

"Better."

"I brought some new friends for you to meet." That being said, Olivia pushed the door open all the way. A tall, skinny man with pepper and salt hair and big glasses stood next to a slim blond with bright blue eyes. Xing blinked at them, "Auntie Alex… Uncle Munch?"

Alex noted the smudge of uncertainty in the girl's stance and flickering eyes, as if fearing they would strike out if her memory failed her. In all her years as a prosecutor, aside from that one case, she'd been detached. Well, not anymore. She smiled warmly at the little girl, "Hello, Xing. I hope Olivia hasn't been telling you stories about me being an evil witch."

"Or a big bad wolf," Munch added, crossing the threshold leisurely. Xing cocked her head curiously, "Why?" A simple question that all children ask, and again a question that didn't always have an answer.

"I don't know, what do you think?" Alex returned, careful not to speak too loud or do anything to startle the little girl. Munch did the same, preferring to stand back and watch.

"Auntie 'Livia doesn't say anything mean, you two don't have sharp teeth or ugly warts, does that still make you guys a witch and a wolf?" Her innocent answer sent grins and laughter skittering through the room. Xing looked up at Elliot who's just arrived and was standing next to Olivia by the doorway.

"Hi kiddo, ready to go?" Xing nodded and hopped off the hospital bed. She looked adorable in the light blue t-shirt and jeans Elliot bought for her. He'd asked for Maureen's help to pick the clothes and didn't know what to pick. That was a month ago and Kathleen and Maureen still hadn't let him forget the incident in which he holed up in Macy's for nearly the whole day with his kids, debating and choosing, then changing his mind again and going back. The sales people had thought he was a psycho and a pedophile and nearly called the cops until Maureen had finally come to check up on him.

He didn't know how he was going to handle the kids until Kathy got back, but when he went to pick up the twins, Kathleen and Maureen rolled their eyes at their mother's irresponsibility and offered to go pick up their brother and sister. The week passed by smoothly and the kids had fun with their dad and Olivia. A gravelly voice beside him brought Elliot out of his reverie.

"Hello, Xing."

"Hello, Dr. Lambert," Xing responded with a shy grin. He chuckled and went to the little girl. Ruffling her hair in a grandfatherly fashion, he reached into his big coat pocket and pressed the piece of candy in her small hands, "Shhh, don't let the nurses see it or I'll be in big trouble." Xing drew the zipper across her lips and trotted over to Olivia and hiding the piece of caramel in one of Olivia's coat pockets before slipping one hand each into Elliot and Olivia's, an angelic smile in place.

Alex got to her feet and exchanged an amused glance with Munch.

The latter smirked and gave her a one-shoulder shrug; at least the girl wasn't traumatized to the point of paranoia. He and Alex followed Olivia, Elliot, and Xing through the ward. By the time they got to Elliot's car, they had a handful of balloons and flowers the nurses gave Xing on their way out.

"It's a good thing you have a big car, otherwise we'd have to deflate these or break the law and drive with them blowing around outside the windows." Elliot didn't respond as he was busy stuffing the balloons and flowers into his trunk without damaging either.

"Where are we going?" Xing suddenly asked.

"We're going home honey," Olivia answered. Fear began blooming through Xing's cinnamon brown eyes, turning them a dark chocolate shade. Elliot was quick to reassure her, "We're going home to my house, is that okay? But first we were going to stop by the police station, we caught the bad man, we're not sure if he's the one you saw though." Xing nodded hesitantly, slowly: almost awkwardly.

* * *

Cragen was standing by his desk on the phone, one hand stuck in his pocket. He laid the phone back on its cradle when he looked up and saw his detectives come in with the Asian child clipped between Benson and Stabler. Opening the door to the squad room, his large frame filled the doorjamb and nearly had the little girl shrinking back behind Stabler's legs.

* * *

Huang came into the squad room in time for him to catch Xing shrinking behind Elliot. He took a look at Cragen and realized she must have been frightened because according to the M.E reports, her father was of a similar build and by his estimates, the man must have always blocked the doorway when she was about to get punished. Softly, so as not to frighten her, he gently called out to her in mandarin, "Xing, come here." She turned around and didn't hesitate to run to George; he bent down and swung her up into his arms mid-run. He could feel her fingers clutching at his gray sweater.

Xing didn't look away from the man standing by the glass walls and clung even tighter to Huang, "Xing." She pulled back enough to look at George.

"He's not a bad guy, he won't hurt you," he murmured soothingly in Chinese. Xing still glanced at Cragen nervously. George set her down and gave her a small nudge towards Cragen. She approached tentatively, inching and pausing, inching and pausing. Painstaking patience earned by age and working with his hardheaded "children" kept Cragen still until he knew Xing was okay with him; the last thing they needed was a terrified witness unable to testify in court.

Xing shuffled anxiously, looking back at Olivia, Elliot, and George, the tiny, encouraging nods moved her a tiny bit closer. She looked up at Cragen timidly and painfully wary, "Grampa Don?"

He crouched in front of her and smiled faintly, his blue eyes warm and welcoming. Extending a hand to her, he waited as she slowly, hesitantly slipped a tiny hand into his for a handshake. Her face and stance relaxed once she understood that he wouldn't hurt her. She reached out and curiously patted his head and traced the wrinkles along his face.

"Well, Dad, looks like we've got another daughter of SVU."


	8. Hugs and Jerks

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order: SVU, if I did, Olivia and Elliot would have been married by now and Kathy would never exist. As it is, I can only live it out through this fanfic. So sue me, Wolf.

Author's Note: Hello people, only a few more chapters to go and then … either way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Elliot sat Xing on his desk as he plopped down in his rolling chair and spun towards the child. She smiled shyly. Olivia grinned. Munch was back at the precinct after dropping Alex off at the D.A. office. He and Fin were arguing over the legitimacy of another one of Munch's conspiracy theories. Cragen and Huang were talking as George leaned one elbow on the edge of a desk. Cragen went back to his office after 5 more minutes and George went over to Xing.

"Xing, Uncle Elliot and Auntie Livia are going to take you to another office for a little bit okay? The people there are just going to ask you some questions and then you'll come back here," Huang assured, seeing the fear trickling into Xing's cinnamon brown eyes. He continued in Mandarin, "I'll see you later, alright?"

Xing nodded obediently.

"Don't worry, Elliot and Olivia won't let them take you away," George told her, reading her fears accurately. He hugged her gently before he left.

* * *

Casey waddled into the squad room a little past noon, bundled against the cold. Olivia looked around her, and seeing no overprotective husband hovering at her friend's elbow, said, "I'm surprised Mike let you out of the house alone."

"He – " Casey was cut off in mid-sentence.

"Casey, are you all right!"

"Speak of the devil," Elliot smirked. Xing sat on the desk, curiously watching, legs swinging back and forth in that childlike manner. Olivia shook her head with an amused smile, "Guess I spoke too soon huh?" Casey scowled.

"I'm not a porcelain doll, I won't break."

Mike ignored his wife's insistence and wound a secure arm around her waist. Casey sighed, well if it put her husband at ease then she would let him follow and guard her like a Doberman. Olivia and Elliot simultaneously recognized the submission and resignation in Casey's expression and face and hid a grin.

Xing looked around the squad room silently from her perch, blinking dolefully. Elliot and Olivia glanced at each other worryingly; they were supposed to take her to the social worker's office today and since she'd greeted Cragen, she hadn't made a peep. Huang had advised Elliot and Olivia not to let strangers get too close to Xing or worse, touch her. They understood that that was typical of many post-abuse victims, but George said that Xing's case was more severe than most, the initial reaction she'd had towards Elliot and Mike was proof of that.

* * *

Social Services Bureau

Riding the elevator up to the sixth floor, Xing clutched at Elliot and Olivia's hands, Elliot's wrapped warmly around Xing's tiny one. Both detectives held her hands more securely when they felt a small tremor; her hands were ice cold and her palms sweaty, her face lost the little color her cheeks had regained. Her clammy grip on their hands tightened exponentially as the bell 'dinged' and the panels slid open. The outer desks were blue-gray with glass-walled cubicles. A few people milled about in business suits and formal skirts since it was lunch hour. The white lights buzzed in the background and distant rings from desk phones could be heard in the otherwise eerier silence. From a private office, a man dressed in a drab Armani suit opened the door.

The man with the brown-blond hair slicked back into an Elvis-era style came out and approached the trio. Catching sight of Olivia, he leered, then, as Xing and Elliot came into view, he pasted a cheesy smile on, tawny eyes gleamed with false warmth. Xin shrank back behind the two adults.

"Hello there, you must be Xing, I'm Alfred Smith, but I prefer to be called Paolo," he drawled cockily, mispronouncing Xing's name. Xing eyed the social worker warily, conveying her blatant distaste for the man. Olivia wanted to share the sentiment. He turned around and beckoned them to follow him, "Come along now, standing there doesn't solve any problems, I solve the problems." Elliot curled his lip in disgust, "Paolo? That's this Alfred guy's dream name? He needs to get a life." He had a much stronger opinion on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't want to blister Xing's innocent ears.

"We deal with these kinds of perps all the time, El, they're just known as bastards to us and pompous asses to the polite society." Olivia murmured quietly in Elliot's ear so Xing wouldn't hear.

Xing walked between them silently. As they reached the office and were about to enter, Smith stopped them, "I'm afraid I can't let you two come into my office. I don't permit the parents or guardians to come in with my patient." He gestured for Xing to go in. Xing didn't move.

"Come on now little girl, I'm taking precious time out of my busy schedule to see you, you know," Smith cajoled, impatience seeping into his voice.

Elliot refrained from snapping at the jerk that if they'd had a choice, Xing wouldn't be seeing him period. He met Olivia's gaze for a second, Olivia nodded and guided the little girl into the bland, extravagantly decorated office, whispering encouragements and reassuring the child. Elliot pulled Smith to the side, and warned the git in low snarl, "Don't touch her, Smith." Smith gave Elliot a smug smirk, "Why I'll be, is the infamous Detective Stabler jealous because that beautiful chick was eying little old me." Elliot glared at him, "I'm serious, Smith, if you touch that little girl, I won't be responsible for what happens."

"Boohoo, is the mighty detective threatening a poor, defenseless social worker. Shame on you," Smith retorted, lifting an arrogant eyebrow.

"Shut up you phony jerk, if he doesn't hurt you I will. I swear that if she comes out looking remotely terrified, we will bring the vengeance of the Special Victims squad down on your greasy head." Olivia rejoined the two men outside the office, leaving the door open so that she could see Xing fidgeting in the chair, paranoid to the extreme and jumping at every little sound.

"You'd best leave the door open she can see us, you prick," Elliot growled at Smith as the butthead strode into the office and deliberately slammed the door in their face.

"I hate him!" Elliot fumed.

"So do I, so do I," Olivia seconded, frowning at the door. Xing had looked so frightened, so worried, so desperate when Olivia had sat her in the closest chair facing the door, she looked ready to cry, which wasn't usual for Xing.

"He better not scare her anymore than she already is, or I'll have him in a holding cell with the scum of his kind."

"Huang's not going to be very happy either if a hair on Xing's head's missing."

"I think Alex andDad might actually give us legal consent to pound him like the worm he is," Elliot added. Olivia nodded grimly.

A second later, a heart-wrenching scream pierced the air.


	9. Repercussions

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU, but I do own the plot, or lack thereof, and Xing.

Author's Note: So sad, nobody reviewed last chapter  (hint hint!). Anyway, if you haven't read chapter 8 yet, you better read that first or you won't understand what's going on. Hope you enjoy!

Elliot flung the office door wide open, heedless of the great smack of the doorknob hitting the wall, or the dent it created either; he was terrified! Terror quickly abated to fury, unadultered anger flowed violently through his veins in the split second that he saw Xing struggling against the jackass with a hand clamped over her frail arm like a vise. The snarl on the worm's face only served to heighten their already vicious thoughts.

Elliot crossed the room in three fast strides, yanking the asshole away from Xing, and shoved him against the farthest wall from Xing, twisting his arm behind his back to an almost inhuman degree, not enough to break his arm or dislocate his shoulder, but enough to put him in excruciating pain. Olivia was already on the couch pulling Xing gently to her and smoothing her hair in comfort. Xing was shaking in terror, tears shining in her dilated eyes. She and Olivia cried out right before something hard came down on his shoulder. He ignored the pain and whirled around furiously to catch the baton as it came down and flashed his badge at his attacker, who turned out to be a security guard.

"I don't care if you're a cop, that's police brutality."

"Police brutality my ass, I'm filing charges for assault," Olivia snarled. She held Xing to the hollow of her throat as tiny mewls, scared and lonely, sounded low in the back of Xing's throat. Elliot went over and sat on the other side of Xing, wrapping his arms around the two, "'Liv, call Cragen and Huang."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Huang arrived at the social worker's office to uniforms taking statements and a traumatized Xing cradled between the two detectives, eyes wide and almost pure black, she'd wrapped her arms around her legs and retreated into her shell again. Gently and quietly, he called out to her in Mandarin, "Xing." She looked up blurrily as he knelt in front of her. She started babbling incoherently, "That man…Father…Uncle Elliot hurt…"

"Xing, come here." She unwrapped herself slowly and let Huang pick her up. His hands went to her shoulders to straighten them and accidentally brushed against her left upper arm, her sharp intake of breath was all he needed to hear.

"Xing, did he hurt you?" He didn't wait for an answer, carefully, he lifted her sleeve as unobtrusively as he could to avoid the cloth brushing against the injury. The ugly red, swollen handprint was beginning to bruise a dark purple. He mentally cursed. Pulling her sleeve down carefully, he lifted her into his arms and slowly rubbed comforting circles into her the spot bared by her overalls. She buried her face into the crook of his shoulder and tightened her arms around his neck.

* * *

"I came in and saw that big cop attacking Mr. Smith. I hit him once with my baton and he flashed that fancy badge at me."

"I'm suing that asshole for assaulting a civil servant and threatening an upstanding citizen of the community! My arm, it's broken!" The medic working on Smith rolled her eyes, "It's not broken, there's nothing torn but you're going to tear a ligament if you keep flailing around like you're drowning." Elliot glared at the idiot before turning back to the uniform, "Detective Benson and I heard a scream from the office, I rammed the door open and saw our witness struggling to get away from Smith. He had a hand on her arms and she was pulling as hard as she could away."

"Detective Stabler told Smith not to make any physical contact with the vic before and Smith ignored our warning to leave the door open. I followed Detective Stabler in and he already had Smith under control, he didn't have to threaten or physically abuse Smith," Olivia added.

"You and Detective Stabler won't have to worry about anything," Alex's voice cut in. The Ice Queen walked up to the two detectives and coolly assessed the uniform and the once-over Smith was giving her, "I already have a warrant for his arrest."

"What! That's conspiracy, I didn't do nothing."

"Yes you did. I need a medic to check on this little girl, she just got out from the hospital due to multiple injuries to the ribs; he might have hurt her again. I also found a new bruise on her arm, I think we'll find that the hand size is identical to Mr. Smith's," Huang said, cutting Smith a cold look. The medic working on Smith abandoned him.

She reached for Xing; that only served to make Xing cling tighter to Huang and whimper. Huang continued to rub her back, "Xing, it's okay, I won't let go, but you have to let the nice lady check on your bruise, okay?" He felt her nod hesitantly as she loosened her grip slightly to let him shift her onto his lap. The medic gently probed her ribs and her arms. Her small hands were slightly red, but the bruise on her arm made her wince when the medic was wrapping it.

"She hasn't suffered any repercussions, but that bruise is a beast, it's not going away for a while. Which hospital was she in?"

"I'll call her doctor." The medic accepted that with a nod and left with her colleague after Elliot refused medical assistance for his shoulder, "I've dealt with enough pain to know when I need a doctor and when I don't." The FBI psychologist was fuming inside and Smith's howling wasn't doing anything for Xing.

"I only pushed her shoulder once when she didn't answer my question! That's not against the law!"

"Detective Stabler and Detective Benson already warned you not to touch the little girl and you do it anyway. I don't know how much brain it takes to take an order, but I do know that when Special Victims Unit officers tell you specifically not to do something, it generally means that that's what sets the victim off. She's a post-trauma patient and you just traumatized her even more, you're screwed.

"If she doesn't recover, I can tell you, you're gonna have a lot more to worry about than a few years in prison."

"Who are you?" Smith sneered.

"Your worst nightmare," Olivia answered, "The doc's getting feisty, wonder if SVU can steal you from the FBI?"

"Not a chance, you guys can't afford me," Huang said, deadpan. Elliot let out a laugh. The uniforms were being completely ignored. Alex couldn't hide her smile.

"I just got off the phone with Cragen, he said that the lineup can wait, let Xing rest first and if she's up to this week, we can arrange arraignment on murder too. He also said to bring in the piece of scum who disobeyed his detectives."

"What! You bitch! I'm rich I can buy your sorry SUV anytime…" The uniforms cuffed Smith and dragged him away, not bothering to correct him that the SVU was not a car.

"Xing, did he hurt you anywhere else?" She shook her head, still not lifting it. Huang held her firmly, but gently and her head lolled sleepily, "Sleep." He wasn't sure if she heard him, but her even breathing told him she had fallen to sleep.


	10. Nighttime Musings

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the SVU, but I do own the plot and Xing.

Author's Note: Sorry for the unforgivably late update, I've been really busy lately, but I'll try my best to update regularly. I honestly think my teachers are trying to kill me with tests and homework. Anyway, enjoy! Read and review please!

Huang left a sleeping Xing with Elliot and Olivia and returned to the Bureau. Xing shifted restlessly, face pinching and drawing taut with tension. Elliot tightened his arms around her, letting his steady heartbeat calm her. Olivia was in the office with Cragen, explaining what happened. Cragen and Olivia came out of Cragen's office together and came towards him, "Elliot, you and Olivia head home, Xing needs time to calm down."

"The doc said that she would probably insist on doing the line-up if we tell her we caught the perp, what should do, Cap?" Cragen gave Xing's sleeping form a long look and exhaled deeply, "When she wakes up tomorrow and you think she should be all right, then tell her, but if she doesn't get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll let the DA know that our witness can't do line-up yet." Elliot nodded and cradled Xing more firmly in his arms as he stood up. Olivia grabbed his coat and covered Xing with it, shrugging her coat on and wrapping her scarf around Elliot's neck.

"I want to kill that bastard," Elliot fumed as the trio quickly closed the distance to Elliot's car. Olivia slid into the back and Elliot carefully handed Xing to her. He started the engine and waited a couple minutes for the car to warm up.

Olivia brushed a lock of hair off Xing's rosy cheek. Her heart lodged in her throat as she remembered how pale they'd been in the asshole's office. Hugging Xing closer, she inhaled the clean smell of baby shampoo that Dr. Lambert had had the nurses go out to get for Xing. Her own sweet scent mingled with the shampoo, that unique child scent. She wondered how this little girl had found her way to their hearts in a few short months and how important she'd become to the SVU family; she was truly a daughter of the SVU.

* * *

Alex flipped furiously through the lone file in the center of her desk, frowning. She wanted to put that stupid fart in jail; Xing had been so terrified. Alex would never forget the look on her face when Smith had snarled, or the tension coiled in her small frame. She'd clung to Huang like a lifeline; she'd somehow sensed that he was the only semi-calm one of those present. Thinking of the ugly bruise on Xing's fragile arm, the shimmering tears she'd refused to let fall, and the quivering limbs, Alex wanted to punch hole in Smith's face.

"ADA Cabot, midnight snack delivery." Alex looked up to see one of her favorite people leaning against the doorjamb, holding up a plastic bag of food. She grinned like a Cheshire Cat, "I love you." Munch rolled his eyes as usual and walked over to her desk, handing her the bag and taking a seat across from her. Folding his hands over his nonexistent belly, he patiently watched her dig into the tacos he'd gotten for her.

"Hungry much?"

"I've been busy," Alex replied succinctly, indicating the open books and file on her desk. Munch leaned forward to look at the books, "I can see that." Alex continued to gobble down the greasy taco as she poured over the information on her computer. Munch asked for no explanation, years as a detective and knowing Alex told him that if she wanted to explain she would.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence, the whirring of the computer fan in the background. Munch couldn't help but feel proud though; that was his Alex, focused till the end. His girlfriend was so different from his four ex-wives, they were both workaholics so she understood when he had to pull an all-nighter, she'd usually be right there beside him as well.

* * *

Fin shut the front door quietly; it was already midnight, the girls would be sleeping soundly in their beds. So would Melinda. The thought of his wife and his children brought a tired, but genuine, smile to Fin's lips. Toeing his shoes off in the foyer, he moved smoothly through the dark into the kitchen. He switched on the light and smiled at the plate of food lovingly arranged by his daughters.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His wife's touch and scent made him sigh contentedly. She guided him into a chair and put the plate in the microwave to heat.

Setting the plate in front of him, Melinda gently kneaded the knots in his shoulders, "Hard day?"

"Just a lot of dead ends and paperwork. How are the girls?"

"Sleeping like babies. They missed their daddy, they wanted to wait for you, but they knew you had to work."

"I'm sorry, baby, I'll try to make it back for dinner tomorrow night." Melinda slid her arms around his broad shoulders and kissed his cheek, "We both have crazy jobs, you don't have to apologize."

"I love you, Melinda Warner. Go back to bed; I'll be there as soon as I finish."

"Love you too, don't stay up too late." Fin watched his wife climb the stairs slowly, heard the quiet creak to the girls' door and knew she was checking on their little angels.

* * *

Alex was so absorbed in her work that she completely forgot that Munch was sitting on the other side of the desk. She'd been concentrating so hard that she didn't realize the time. By the time she looked up, Munch had fallen asleep, slumped in his chair. She glanced at the clock and realized with a start that it was 2 in the morning. Rubbing the back of her neck to relieve some of the muscles, she got up and went around the desk to perch on the edge by Munch.

"Wake up sleepyhead."

"Huh, what time is it?" Munch asked with a yawn.

"Your bedtime. You should go home now, John, you still have to work tomorrow," Alex said. Munch readjusted his glasses, "So do you, Alex, you're an ADA, not Wonder Woman. Wrap it up and I'll take you home."

"Which home?"

"Yours is closer," Munch answered.

* * *

Maureen and Kathleen Stabler sighed exasperatedly as they heard another door slam and knew all too well their mother was throwing another one of her infamous temper tantrums. They'd been listening to her rant all day about how their father was a two-timing bastard, worthless cop, and irresponsible father. Maureen matter-of-factly reminded Kathy that she and Elliot had been divorced for two years and their father had started dating Olivia after the divorce. The two oldest Stabler children heard the twins turn up the volume of their music to drown out their mother's shrieks.

Kathy Stabler had become even more intolerable as of late with her unpredictable mood swings; one minute gushing about her new "boyfriend" the next second talking trash about Elliot and Olivia in front of the kids. Maureen was glad that their mother was leaving them with their father for the weekend.

Praise the Lord for a good man like their dad and a wonderful woman like Olivia Benson. Maureen couldn't have found a better match for the best dad in the whole-wide world.


	11. Healing

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own SVU; I only own Xing and the plot.

Author's Note: I'd appreciate it if you could review, the more reviews I get the more likely there'll be more Xing after 'The Heart of a Child' ends (hint hint). Enjoy!

Elliot woke up, disoriented. The first thing he noticed was that Xing and Olivia were no longer in bed. The second thing he noticed was the smell of pancakes and coffee. He got out of bed and went about his daily routine, then padded out into the kitchen. Xing sat on top of the farthest counter from the stove swinging her legs and listening to Olivia hum a random tune. Amused, he leaned casually against the doorjamb, watching his girlfriend cook breakfast.

"Thought you didn't know how to cook."

"Morning to you too."

"Morning sweetie," he said to Xing, automatically moving to hug her.

"Good morning," she answered sweetly, wrapping her little arms around his stomach as far as she could reach. To say that Olivia was astonished was the understatement of the year. Elliot went over to the coffee pot and helped himself to a cup of the deadly poison as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Olivia made a mental note to tell Huang today and resumed cooking.

She turned back to the eggs a little too late.

Elliot glanced at the pan and gave a crack of laughter.

* * *

The trio entered Precinct 16 this day with a lighter step and brighter smiles, it seemed that Xing was improving more and more each day, bouncing back from the trauma that caused her to flinch in fear at the sight of any slightly built male. She'd even said hi to a couple of uniforms that she recognized from the crime scene.

Huang was especially pleased with her progress and when Olivia described what happened this morning he grinned, "She's got a resilient nature, she's the strongest little girl I've ever met, I've known victims who haven't been through half of what Xing's been through and they never fully recover. Take it slowly with her." He'd just set down his cup of coffee when Xing hurled herself bodily at the startled FBI psychologist. Elliot and Munch were right on her heels. She gave them a cheeky smile from the safety of Huang's arms then turned to Huang to give him a proper hug.

"I think it's safe to say you lost, Munch," Don said, coming out of the break room. Fin couldn't wipe the smirk of his face.

"Lost what?" Casey asked, waddling in with Alex at her elbow. Alex gave Munch a suspicious glare when he tried to adopt an innocent expression.

Elliot was only too glad to fill her in.

"This little one over here was betting that she could run faster than he could." Alex tried to stifle the laughter bubbling in her throat, Casey had no such inhibitions and doubled over laughing, well, doubled over as much as a pregnant woman could double over. The smile suddenly dropped from Elliot's face.

"What are you doing here, Kathy?" Sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere, Xing wiggled out of Huang's hold and tugged at Olivia's hand, "Livia, may I have some water?" Olivia nodded and started for the break room, Xing grabbed Alex's hand as they went along and the three woman plus one child disappeared quietly. Kathy stood there, arms crossed over her chest, glaring murderously at Elliot. Before she could start her tirade, Kathleen, Maureen, Dickie, and Lizzie traipsed in behind Kathy and attacked their father with 'I miss you's and hugs. Huang and Don retreated to Don's office.

"Forget already, Elliot? I'm not that surprised considering that _woman_ you're living with probably does much to distract you," Kathy sniped scathingly. Kathleen rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "Sorry, Dad, I didn't have time to call ahead and warn you." Kathy shot her oldest daughter a peeved glare – one that Kathleen had grown accustomed to ignoring.

"I'm leaving for the Bahamas with Steven the day after tomorrow, I told you'd have to take the kids," she pouted. Elliot was _really_ trying to rein in his temper but it was _so_ tempting to not.

* * *

"She's a meanie face."

"Xing, that's not very nice," Olivia gently chastised.

"But you can't deny that she's right," Casey countered.

"Olivia, you can't play nice for the rest of your life, one of these days…"

"Guys…" Olivia sighed tiredly. Xing gave Olivia a consolatory pat on the head as she absently sipped at her water. Alex laughed, "You know, she actually looked like an adult consoling a child at that moment, what does that say about us?" Olivia cast Alex a mock glare and scowled playfully at Xing as she caught her delicate hand, "Either way, you guys be nice." Xing made a face at that, though Casey and Alex didn't imitate the little girl, the looks on their faces told Olivia that they agreed with Xing's sentiments one-hundred percent.

An impish glint lit up Xing's cinnamon brown pools that glittered and danced in the light, "Auntie Alex, Auntie Casey told me that she used to play softball and I know Auntie Livia has to catch bad guys all the time, but you only sit at the office every day." Alex picked up the subtle challenge and chased after the little girl as Xing quickly hopped off the table and ducked out. Alex finally caught her and tickled her mercilessly.

"Give up?"

"No!"

"Oh really? How about now?"

"Never!" Xing giggled stubbornly. Elliot and the kids watched the pair war in amusement, earlier disagreements forgotten. Deeming it safe to come out, Huang and Don reappeared; the two men hadn't wanted to interrupt a raging battle between Elliot and Kathy and get caught in the crossfire. Elliot and Kathy had been close to a full-blown shouting match if not for Xing.

Xing appealed to Huang for help when Alex gave no sign of letting up.

"Uncle Huang…he…help!" She choked between squeals. George chuckled and took pity on her, "Alex, she's going to have nightmares tonight." Xing shot to Huang immediately for protection, her face flushed a light pink. Kathy huffed angrily, turned on her heel and left.

Good riddance.

"Huang, are you taking Xing with you tonight?" George nodded, "I don't think it'd do her any good if we handed her over to Child's Services."

"Hey, Xing, come here, I've got new friends for you to meet. These are my kids." Kathleen and Maureen knelt to Xing's height, "Hi, my name's Kathleen, this is my sister Maureen. What's your name?" Xing bit her lip indecisively, then shyly replied, "Xing."

"That's such a pretty name," Maureen said, understanding that they had to tread carefully with this little girl, her mistrust was appalling, but understandable. Majority of the children that came through SVU were victims of abuse or had undergone traumatic experiences, Xing was no different, she was also still a child.

She would heal.


End file.
